Toy Train

This was made a few weeks ago for the son of a friend. I wanted to make a simple card with bold colours. This is the result:

Materials:

Card: Bermuda Bay, Real Red, Smoky Slate, Xpress white for Copic markers
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Tuxedo Black, Copic markers - R29, Y08, B24 and N1
Stamps: Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, Year Two, Quinn's 123's, all by Lawn Fawn
Tools: Big shot machine, Stitched Journaling Card Lawn Cuts dies, corner rounder, dimensionals, sponge

A little boy's birthday

It's been a while since I posted a 'Kate Original' card. (Obviously meaning I didn't copy or case it from anyone, it's my own creation, just a product of my crazy thoughts.) Here's one for you today! I made this card for a friend's son who turned 3 today.

Here's how it's made:

Materials:
Cardstock: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White.
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Versamark, Tuxedo Black (Memento). Markers: Wild Wasabi, Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Bashful Blue, Pink Pirouette, Basic Black.
Stamps: Monster Fun (Hero Arts. I borrowed this from a friend at our card making day - thanks Shauna!), Put on Your Party Hat (Fiskars), Admit One (Lawn Fawn).
Accessories: Maraschino and Cappucino baker's twine (The Twinery), Miss Nelly jewels (Kaisercraft).
Tools: Big shot machine, Top Note die, sponge, dimensionals, 2 way glue pen, glue tape, mini glue dots, sanding block.

Tips and Tricks:
1. The blue layer was stamped randonly with a Lawn Fawn star in Versamark. I sponged around the edges with Tempting Turquoise ink.
2. I trimmed up the white top note die cut to reveal the red one beneath. Then I sanded the edges of the white (I would have used my distressing tool had I brought it with me) and sponged around it with Tempting Turquoise ink.
3. The monsters and balloons were coloured in with Stampin' Up markers. After cutting out all the monsters and balloons, I used a black marker to colour the cut edges.
4. The balloons were adhered to each other one at a time so I got the right positioning on the card. Then I attached the twine to each balloon using glue tape. After that I attached the balloons to the card with dimensionals.
5. I tied up the balloon strings and stuck them in position with a mini glue dot.
6. The mini monster is on dimensionals too to make him stand out and look like he's holding the bunch of balloons.

Stuff Ups:
1. This is just a technicality but I don't like the streakiness of the markers. There's nothing I can do about that apart from buy Copics instead.
2. The cutting out the top note die cut could have been better (as always).

Pleasant Surprises:
1. The way the red and blue contrast. I like it.
2. The stamp set is so cute. I would have been lost without it!
3. Finally, a concept I had in my head was realised in the way I wanted it to be!!

A Little Birthday

I don't have much of a call for kids cards as there simply aren't many kids in our family right now - only two. This card I designed for the youngest kid - he has just turned two. I must get some more kid oriented stamps for future years.

This card was inspired by a set of decorative brads I bought featuring cute balloons and birthday cake slices. I didn't end up using any of those on the cover! The blue stars and the big round brads are from that set though.

Materials:
Cardstock: Shimmery White, Gable Green (retired), Real Red, Pacific Point, Whisper White.
Ink: Pacific Point (ink and marker), Pumpkin Pie (marker), Real Red (marker), Daffodil Delight (marker), Chocolate Chip (marker), Versamark, Stazon black.
Stamps: None that are from Stampin' Up.
Other: Pumpkin Pie taffeta ribbon, Lattice embossing folder, big shot machine, Paper piercing tool, mat pack, sponge, dimensionals.
Non Stampin' Up: Fiskars clear stamps - Cookies, Cake & Ice Cream stamp set, Put On Your Party Hat stamp set, Square scallop punch, Doodlebug Designs brads, Fiskars Cupcake border punch.

Tips and Tricks:
1. The scallop squares have Pacific Point ink sponged around the edges to liven them up a little. The squares are also popped up on dimensionals.
2. The stamps on the scallop squares were all stamped in Versamark, then Stazon black, then heat embossed. I find that makes colouring them in easier. The images were all coloured in with markers.
3. Shimmery White is a lot thicker cardstock than Whisper White so I always choose it for a card base.

Stuff Ups:
1. The main reason for the green panel is that the lattice embossing folder doesn't reach to the bottom of the card and I needed a way to hide it.
2. I was going to have more of the green colour in the stamped pictures on the scallop squares but I forgot that I didn't have a marker in that colour. Thankfully there is a little green in those big brads to tie it in better. I also used the green inside the card to make a layer to cover up the back of the brads and that unembossed portion.
3. I kind of wish I used a different colour than green so I could make that cupcake border stand out more. It looks a bit grass and picket fencey to me. Having said that, using blue or red would be too much. Orange would make the ribbon pointless....yellow maybe? Brown?

Finally, the Valentine's Card

This is the card that I've made for my husband for Valentine's day. I didn't look to other cards for design ideas or colours, I just chose the colours and played with design ideas until I found what made me happy.

Materials:
Cardstock: Basic Black, Real Red and Very Vanilla.
Inks: Basic Black marker, Real Red marker, Real Red ink pad, Versamark.
Stamps: Wonderful Favourite, A Happy Heart.
Other: Black embossing powder, heat tool, big shot machine, sponge, oval punch, dimensionals, paper piercer and mat pack.
Non Stampin' Up: Polka dot embossing folder, red heart brads.
Tips and Tricks:
1. It may be hard to tell, but the base card is black.
2. I used markers to colour the hearts and crosses stamp. Originally I also used Glossy Accents on the red part of the stamp, but it made the ink run within the gloss and I lost the definition.
3. The 'to my' and 'husband' ovals are sponged around the edges with Real Red ink.
4. The words 'to my wonderful husband' are embossed in black.
5. I used the paper piercer guide that comes with the mat pack to position the heart brads and get them evenly spaced.
6. I have made an insert on Very Vanilla with a red heart brad and another stamp on it from the A Happy Heart stamp set. It will be easier to write on that than black.

Stuff Ups:
1. The Glossy Accents that I've mentioned at least twice already!
2. There is the tiniest of smudges on the hearts and crosses stamped image.
3. The embossed words are a little bit uneven in places.
4. The sponging - I'm not 100% happy with it and I'm not sure why.